Andy Burnham is looking into a possible Epstein inquiry that would examine the convicted sex offender’s UK activities, victims minister Alex Davies-Jones said, as pressure grows for a wider public investigation into abuse allegations involving powerful men.
Davies-Jones told BBC Newsnight that she has discussed the idea of a public inquiry with the prime minister and cabinet secretary Dame Antonia Romeo. She said the government is also reviewing whether allegations linked to former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed could be included. Asked whether such an inquiry was now possible, she said ministers were reviewing what could be done and were also considering the position of Harrods survivors.
The minister said Burnham has agreed to meet Epstein’s victims and is taking the issue seriously. She said he now has access to all the information available to him as prime minister and is looking at what action can be taken. Davies-Jones also said he had assured her he would meet the victims and work with the government on wider system change for survivors across the board.
Davies-Jones’s comments carry added weight because of her own break with the previous government. She resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s administration in May, then accused it of failing to listen to Epstein survivors. After her resignation, she told the Commons in June that people devastated by Epstein’s abuse had too often been treated as an afterthought.
Behind the scenes, the discussion has gone beyond Epstein alone. BBC Newsnight says Burnham was sent a document by Labour campaigners focused on violence against women and girls as he prepared to become prime minister. The document urged a full public inquiry into Epstein’s UK activities, allegations involving the late Mohamed Al Fayed, and claims aired in BBC Panorama and The Times concerning West Ham co-owner David Sullivan. Sullivan has denied the allegations and said he is not the figure the media has portrayed.
